Law Grandmother dies after spending last five months of her life in jail on $300 bond without trial

damn, you hate cops and justice system because you did a night in the drunk tank?

Cop lied in the affidavit, technically committing perjury. They all lie, integrity is a myth. Only thing that saved me from misdemeanor charge was the official record that didn't lie. Fat fuck, he couldn't even fit into a buletproof vest.

I filed internal complaint and got a call back from supervisor who wanted to interview me. When I asked if I can record the conversation, piece of shit hung up. Then internal affairs never followed up and made excuses for the swine. Bear in mind all charges were dropped without prejudice, so he obviously fcked up, but they didn't care. Mind you this same fat fck had other false arrest lawsuits on his record, as my attorney found out. Fck swine.

Whole ordeal cost me almost 1k. That's more than most American's have in savings. I'm a G, so it wasn't a big hit for me, but for any other person it would be very damaging financially.


I was hassled by cops before even though I wasn't breaking any laws. Believe me when I tell you this- they're there for the paycheck and nothing else. Citizens is their currency they operate with- they have to try and arrest people, or else they'll get downsized. Trying to pay their mortgages and buy something nice for their wife/gf. Not that different from those who join the army- most just need the money.
 
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Cop lied in the affidavit, technically committing perjury. They all lie, integrity is a myth. Only thing that saved me from misdemeanor charge was the official record that didn't lie. Fat fuck, he couldn't even fit into a buletproof vest.

I filed internal complaint and got a call back from supervisor who wanted to interview me. When I asked if I can record the conversation, piece of shit hung up. Then internal affairs never followed up and made excuses for the swine. Bear in mind all charges were dropped without prejudice, so he obviously fcked up, but they didn't care. Mind you this same fat fck had other false arrest lawsuits on his record, as my attorney found out. Fck swine.

Whole ordeal cost me almost 1k. That's more than most American's have in savings. I'm a G, so it wasn't a big hit for me, but for any other person it would be very damaging financially.


I was hassled by cops before even though I wasn't breaking any laws. Believe me when I tell you this- they're there for the paycheck and nothing else. Citizens is their currency they operate with- they have to try and arrest people, or else they'll get downsized. Trying to pay their mortgages and buy something nice for their wife/gf. Not that different from those who join the army- most just need the money.
<{poor?}>
 

My truck is worth 50k and it's 5 years old.

<HisEye>

I got that look in my eye at cops ever since then.
Like my local cops are cool. Helpful, courteous, cool. I know some on a name basis. But you go out of your town, those motherfckers are rabid. Need to be put down, for rlz.
Actually, that department that I dealt with was investigated by feds for corruption. They're scum. I got property there, so I can't avoid not driving/being there.
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A bond she can't actually afford is un constitutional
Did you read the article? She needed $30

This happened bc she's a crazy old lady who didn't know what was going on, not bc the system is unconstitutional
 
Me. I am evidence. Marijuana edibles accelerated my recovery from deep anxiety, depression and fear. There are similar stories all over the internet for Iboga, dmt, mushrooms, etc.

Personally I believe these plants have a direct purpose in allowing us to see a greater reality beyond the man-made one we have insulated ourselves in. And that expansion of perspective is necessary to overcome the trivial things that grow to imprison us.
 
This is a completely ordinary, unremarkable story in the United States of an un-convicted person dying in police custody because they don't have bail money and/or the mental faculties to fend for themselves. Frankly, the only thing remotely unusual about it is that, usually, persons who die in debtor's prison do not have family to remember them or to bring attention to their deaths, because those families would have eventually scrounged together the money to get them out.


Let’s talk about the injustice that is inherent in the cash bond system and how it disproportionately impacts people of color. Let’s discuss the criminal justice system’s inability to properly deal with those suffering from mental illness. Let’s talk about how those two things combined recently contributed to the death of a 61-year-old black grandmother who was arrested on a misdemeanor trespassing charge and held in jail for five months.

KSAT confirmed via court records that Janice Dotson-Stephens died in the custody of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office Friday. She had been held in jail since July on a $300 bond.

Dotson-Stephens was arrested July 17 on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing on private property—her first brush with the law according to Bexar County Court records.

BCSO officials told KSAT that Dotson-Stephens had been held at the infirmary at the annex detention center and appeared to have died from natural causes.

The most shameful part about it is that most bail bond companies require a 10 percent payment to bail you out, meaning Dotson-Stephens could have been set free for just $30.

According to court records, Dotson-Stephens refused to be interviewed about her case the day after she was arrested and again on four straight days in late July, KSAT reports. She refused once again on Aug. 4.

On Aug. 8, a court-appointed attorney was assigned to her case, and when she refused to make a court appearance on Aug. 17, she was ordered to go through a psychological evaluation on Aug. 27.

Family members said they were unaware Dotson-Stephens was in jail. They thought she was being treated at a state hospital.

Dotson-Stephens’ daughter-in-law, Leticia Dotson, told KSAT that she and her husband were devastated to find out that Dotson-Stephens had died in jail.

“We just felt that she shouldn’t have died as a criminal in the jailhouse,”Dotson said. “She wasn’t a criminal. She had mental health illness.”

Dotson told the station that her mother-in-law had a history of mental illness. She said that in previous encounters with police, Dotson-Stephens was evaluated and transferred to the state hospital.

Dotson said that none of her mother-in-law’s family members had been contacted, something she thinks could have saved her life.

“If it changed and we had to bail her out before the process of getting her to the state hospital, we would have done that,” Dotson said.

“She had people who loved her and family who would have easily paid the $30 to get her out of jail if that’s what we had to do to take the next step,” she added.

Dotson told KSAT that she hopes the staff at the Bexar County Jail and at the state hospital will communicate in the future so this will not happen to other families.

“If your family has a mental illness, it’s not in their control,” she said. “She shouldn’t die as a criminal. They should die as, ‘This person had a mental illness and this is what happened.’”

Bexar County officials told KSAT on Monday that they couldn’t confirm if Dotson-Stephens was diagnosed with a mental health condition. They also said that she did not have a next of kin listed and that a transfer to the state hospital requires a court order.

The family told Refinery29 that it wasn’t unusual for them to go long stretches without hearing from the mother of four and grandmother of 10. She often became irrational when she was off her medication. Her father reportedly called the Bexar County Jail looking for her in August, but he was told she was not in their custody. The family feared that she had been released onto the streets and only found out her whereabouts when they were notified of her death.

The situation has caught the attention of California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris, who tweeted about it Tuesday morning.

“A woman was held in jail for six months because she couldn’t afford to pay her $300 bond. She just died in custody. This is tragic and exactly why we need to reform our money bail system,” Harris wrote.

In a separate email to Refinery29, Harris said: “The death of Janice Dotson-Stephens is a tragedy. No one should be held in jail for months before they have been convicted of a crime because they can’t afford to pay a few hundred dollars for bail. Our system of justice is supposed to be blind. It is an injustice that a person with money who has been accused of the same offense and can pay to get out of jail, but a person who can’t pay sits in jail with residual consequences, and in this case, tragically dies in jail. We must reform our broken money bail system.”

The Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division and the Bexar County Medical Examiner are investigating the death along with the Converse Police Department—which is involved in the investigation because of the Sandra Bland Act.

The Sandra Bland Act requires the Department of Public Safety to appoint a law enforcement agency other than the one operating the jail where an incarcerated person’s death occurred to investigate the death.

Dotson-Stephen’s family said she will be laid to rest on Dec. 28.

https://www.theroot.com/black-grand...B4ub4aNWVpdZou-bX9YbMKOWfD1659SuTc4Y2pPc69NlY
She should sell her story
 
Me. I am evidence. Marijuana edibles accelerated my recovery from deep anxiety, depression and fear. There are similar stories all over the internet for Iboga, dmt, mushrooms, etc.

Personally I believe these plants have a direct purpose in allowing us to see a greater reality beyond the man-made one we have insulated ourselves in. And that expansion of perspective is necessary to overcome the trivial things that grow to imprison us.
Well, I'm not too enthusiastic about the Timothy Leary movement on this. I do think that plants are powerful medicine and we shouldn't disregard them entirely because of the damage done by reckless teenagers and junkies.
 
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